The Reliance FT2 is the first of a range of diesel forklift trucks manufactured and designed by Halifax Tool Co with industrial design consultants Peter Ralph Design Associates Powered by a Perkins four cylinder diesel engine the truck has a maximum capacity of 40001b at 24in centres. It is constructed on an integral body/ chassis incorporating longitudinal rolled steel channel sections which overhang the rear wheels to form an easily loaded ballast platform Positioning of controls was subjected to ergonomic study and all main surfaces forward of the driver s eye are matt black

Eating over the shop

On the fifth floor of Owen Owen's Liverpool store. Lucy Halford and Associates have designed ale eating area with bar and open grill and a seating capacity for over 100 people Walls and structural columns are clad in tongued and grooved boarding, dyed blue, and the upholstery on the roll type banquette seating is in purple tweed. Panels of blue tinted glass fitted at the end of the eight island its help create a sense of privacy and enclosure. Contractors for the job were Plumb Contracts Ltd, a part of the Owe Owen group.

Steel spiral

Geoffrey Hollington designed this prototype spiral staircase while still a student at the Central School. Units, consisting of tubular steel handrail sections welded to treads formed from curved steel plate, are stacked on a vertical steel pole, with spacers between. Treads are surfaced in bonded rubber. with extruded rubber nosings completing tile specification

Antrim admin

The county administration of Antrim, Northern Ireland, has been removed from Belfast Courthouse and planted in the midst of pleasant countryside outside Ballymena, in the heart of the county. The new building, designed by Burman Goodall and Partners, won the RlBA s architecture award for Northern Ireland, 1971. It houses the usual administrative offices, a council chamber suite, an assembly hall to seat 700 backed up by parking for 300 cars. The structure in reinforced concrete and load-bearing brickwork has been carefully massed to distinguish functional elements, and blend with the Antrim landscape. The £1 1/4 million contract was carried out by McLauglin and Harvey.

Measuring rainfall

The Plessey MM37 recording raingauge is a self-contained unit consisting of a tipping bucket mechanism, tape recorder, timing unit and battery. Data recording is made on two tracks of fin magnetic tape: one for rainfall, the other for time. The tipping bucket is one piece moulded in grp and mounted on jewel bearings: and the collector, which is of plastics with a stainless steel rim. comes in two sizes: 150sq mm. and 750sq mm. Fitted in its case (with a slug deterring copper mesh base) the raingauge measures 10 1/2in x 12 1/2 in and weighs 141b approx. Prices are £159 (150sq cm collector) and £159 (750sq cm collector) A raingauge translator, used for processing information recorded on the raingauge tape, is also available, price £672. Plessey Electronics are currently working on a new raingauge and hoping to supply it to the Water Resources Board when it takes over responsibility for rainfall measurement from the Metereological Office.

Bottle steriliser

The Cannon Baby Safe steriliser unit is a compactly designed food preparation kit for babies. It consists of a diamond shaped container, with tongs, spatula and float lid all in white abs plastics: four bottles and a 2 pint jug in clear polycarbonate: and a sachet of sterilising agent. Made by Cannon Rubber. Ashley Road, N17, the Baby Safe costs £3.50.

Magic lantern

The late Joe Colombo s Bazooka projector can be used for transparencies or with metal diaphragms to control the shape of projected light. Its 100W mirrored bulb has a beam spread of 2000mm at 4m range. The swivelling black lacquered aluminium body is linked to the base by means of a U shaped arm of chromed steel. The Bazooka measures 130mm in diameter: 460mm in height: 350mm in length It can be adapted for use on electric track.

Marker time

Al Hill, London-based American designer, has yet to sell rights on his patent for a laminated marker board on which you scribble with a Pentel and erase with a damp cloth. Hill's prototypes are headed by familiar fum figures like Bogie or a gorilla, but the image could be varied at will Since the laminate used is standard, boards could sell retail at around 50-60p including the Pentel. An alternative, a blackboard fringed by Mirrorfoil in the shape of Marilyn, would sell at 75p. As one of those useful toys or useless aids the idea would seem to have potential.

Shape of things to come

Arabia tableware changes little over the years. The EH dinner service, shown here in prototype, won a gold medal for industrial design at the twenty-ninth competition of artistic ceramics at Faenza this year. Designed by Peter Winquist it goes into production in 1973.

Beauty of Bath

Architects Yorke Rosenberg Mardall have converted a 136ft x 40ft strip at the rear of Herman Miller s Bath factory into a rectangular showroom and reception area. Fairfaced concrete Clockwork walls match the existing fabric (part of Bath Cabinet makers factory) and floor to ceiling runs of patent glazing allow glimpses of the factory beyond. The three month contract was carried out by Bristowe Construction, Bath, at a cost of £13000

Desk beware

Snooty's is a new firm, making what is cautiously described as "not inexpensive" desk wares. The firm 's first offering, aimed no doubt at the executives Christmas present market, is a pair of containers in aluminium tube
(diameter 65mm, heights 65mm and 123mm respectively). The lids of the containers are solid Perspex, grooved to receive a ball bearing. Containers are finished in satin anodised aluminium or black and priced at £12.25 and £7.90.

Moving core

Shortage of space in Japan has led architect Kisho Kurokawa to develop the MC-18 moving core - a servicing capsule on wheels capable of looking after four people for three or four Clays travel It contains 18 components - among them an automatic wc flushed by treated reusable water; a shower; an electric fridge; a gas cooker: a gas water heater: a sink: a propane gas cylinder: drinking water and waste water tanks; a battery and generator. Steel used for the prototype would be replaced in mass-production by grp.

Two part shell

A washroom cabin - shower, washbasin, we moulded in two "halves of white Perspex has been specified by Use architects of the Olympic village for the Olympic games at Munich 1972. Over 2000 units are on order from the manufacturers. H G Moeller, Kunststoffwerk, of Delmenhorst, who are planning a complete range of wall units shaped from Perspex.

Takeyama tiles

After some bizarre experiments in architecture (DESIGN 267/60 - 3) and furniture (DESIGN 273/72) Japanese pop designer Minoru Takeyama has turned his hand to ornamental tiles. With their brilliant candy-striped colours applied to a white or a blue ground, they are probably intended for wall mounting rather than floor covering and would go well in a nursery.

Fireclay chessmen

This chess set was intended to mark the retirement of Belling's works director. D M M Brunton. It is inscribed with the signatures of 102 long-standing Belling employees, and commemorated 45 years service to the firm. Sadly, Brunton died before receiving the set, so it was presented to his widow as a posthumous tribute. The chessmen were made from glazed fireclay insulators by Desmond Khan, Belling's research and development designer, and stack away in aluminium drawers fitted on either side of the board The squares on the board contrast with the chessmen in alternate matt and glossy vitreous enamel.

Edinburgh domestic

Storage ; units at the newly completed Edinburgh College of Domestic Science were specially designed by the architects. Renton Howard Wood Associates, in beech veneered or melamine finished blackboard, with special hinges and dished
circular pulls in white plastics. The new buildings are faced in silver grey granite aggregate blocks with slate black infill between windows. The three year contract at Clermiston was carried out by Gilbert Ash (Scotland) Ltd Structural engineers were Ore Arup and Partners.

Holed out

The hole with the fire in it (burning up money perhaps?) was designed by Ringo Starr and installed in his costly traditional Hampstead home. Made from spun stainless steel, with an overall diameter of 4ft 4in and an internal diameter of 2ft, it can be yours for £425 (satin finish) or £480 (polished mirror finish). Together with other costly stainless steel extravaganzas designed by Ringo and his partner Robin Cruikshank of RPR Ltd. it's available from Liberty's Delivery is said to be "immediate".

Pleasure domes

Objex is a small firm working in the growth area of business gifts and other useless but decorative presents. Their new range of acrylic domes (£1.90 each) and extruded pvc key rings (75p each) are silkscreened with single colour Pinocchio style graphics. The lightbulb paperweight costs £1.50. Objex also perform a three-dimensional graphics service for advertising agencies, business conferences etc.